CHINA LAKE, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on the crash of a Navy F/A-18 jet in the California desert (all times local):
3:35 p.m.
Authorities say seven people on the ground have been injured in the crash of a Navy jet in California’s Mojave Desert.
Death Valley National Park spokesman Patrick Taylor say the seven were park visitors and have only minor injuries.
There’s no word yet on what happened to the pilot of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, which went down during a training mission Wednesday morning.
The crash occurred near a park area nicknamed Star Wars Canyon where fighter jets practice low-flying maneuvers and tourists often gather to watch.
The crash area is about 60 miles (96.5 kilometers) north of the Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lake.
The aircraft was from strike fighter squadron VFA-151 stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California’s Central Valley.
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1:55 p.m.
The Navy says an F/A-18 Super Hornet warplane was on a routine training mission when it crashed in the California desert.
Lt. Cmdr. Lydia Bock says search-and-rescue teams responded to the scene Wednesday morning but the status of the pilot remains unknown.
The crash was reported at 9:50 a.m. north of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in the Mojave Desert.
The aircraft was from strike fighter squadron VFA-151 stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California’s Central Valley.
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The U.S. Navy says an F/A-18 Super Hornet jet has crashed in the California desert and a search-and-rescue helicopter is en route to the scene.
Naval Air Forces Pacific spokesman Lt. Travis Callaghan says the single-seat warplane went down around 10 a.m. Wednesday about 60 miles (96.5 kilometers) north of the Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lake.
There’s no immediate information about the status of the pilot.
Callaghan says the crash site is approximately on the western edge of Death Valley.
The Super Hornet is a twin-engine fighter jet.
China Lake is about 120 miles (193 kilometers) north of Los Angeles.
